I've written before about the blunt approach medical insurance and the insurance industry as a whole has when it comes to mental health. However, things do change, and some things have a contribution.

One of the areas that I have become significantly more aware of is the plight of those that are non-neurotypical. This is possibly a new term for many readers and one that they know as different names like ADD, ADHD, & ASD.

I talked here about ADHD and my airport analogy with Die Hard II being the epitome of the typical ADHD'er's day.

Expanding on that, there are a few things that would help those around those with ADHD.

For Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), we have the spoon theory to indicate energy levels and activity throughout the day. I have something analogous to this, the John McLean Theory for ADHD.

Having been involved with mental health disability claims for the better part of two decades, I've observed many things that those experiencing a disability due to mental health and clinicians on the coal face don't always appreciate.

A level of distance gives perspective. And one of the things I have noticed is that ADHD, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, is far more common than people think.

You’re looking for insurance cover, be it for your life, home, income or health. You have two choices. You can use an insurance advisor to do all the hard work for you, or you could purchase straight from the insurer's website. Which one will you pick?

Obviously, we recommend that you use an insurance advisor and today we’re explaining the five most important reasons why.

Working through the HSWA stuff relating to Covid-19, I wonder how the Americold CEO is going with his WorkSafe notification to avoid the associated $20k fine...

Part of the HSWA is management and reporting of infectious diseases and other pathogen exposures that can cause serious illness. Covid-19 falls into this category.

I think the comments in Russell Hutchison's post linked here It's great information, but it isn't financial advice: need to be echoed far and wide, and I mean to everyone.

Research and research tools are a part of the advice piece clients need; at the same time, they are far from the single source of truth for making product decisions.

We use QPR and also Strategy Financial Services to give us a view on what the insurance product market looks like.

We've been watching the development of Covid-19 since it first emerged out of Wuhan China, as have most people.

Given what we do and how involved in claims we are, we're getting lots of questions on what people can do.

So let's talk about what that might be and what it might look like. (First published 28 Feb 2020, last updated 24 March 2020)

We've been asked by many people, what do we need to do, and how can we prep?

Based on both Civil Defence, Survive-IT, and peer discussions, we've put the following together to help you figure out what you need to be doing.

One of the regular questions we are fielding at the moment is the question about how insurance will respond.

The short answer generally well, the not so short answer most policies will respond as intended with a few exceptions.

Those that know me and have read what I write know I get pretty hot under the collar about things that impact peoples outcomes. Australia is about to career down the path of something that is going to punt us back to the dark ages when it comes to looking after people.

Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) has decided that income protection is unsustainable, and it needs to be regulated to be more sustainable. Understand this is from a profitability and shareholder return perspective, not what is good for the consumer or the Australian public.

2019 has been a tough year for the anti-vaxer, as their myopic view of the world has come home to roost. We have the most significant number of reported cases of measles worldwide since 2006.

The experience here in Auckland compounded by the tragedy that is rolling through Samoa should be evidence enough that vaccination programs are both safe and necessary.

Yet, we are still getting the keyboard warrior social trolls out en-masse defending their indefensible position. Frankly, they need to be driven back into their deep dark, cold, damp caves they came from and torched with napalm. Possibly while waving pitchforks and sharp objects on poles in their direction.

Yes, you've heard it before, you should have medical insurance and income protection. Well here's a story of exactly why you need to consider insurance cover.

Your life may depend on it.

We have a client who has had ongoing issues with immunity for some time. They have the cover and have been able to access treatment in a reasonably timely way.

Strokes, also known as cerebrovascular accidents, are one of the most sudden and unpredictable conditions we as humans can suffer from. Most of the time and with no warning, we can go from fully active and living life normally, to being bed-ridden and incontinent, or in some cases, dead.

Medical researchers and scientists have been working on identifying tools, techniques and medication which can reduce the effect strokes have on the human body. One of their findings is using the supplement melatonin. While relatively new, giving melatonin for stroke recovery is showing positive signs, and we’re going to look into these findings in depth today. We will also explain what a stroke is, plus treatment and rehabilitation too.

It's all well and good to say we're being fleeced at the pumps. When the government is taking 97c of every $2.20 litre of fuel, you have to ask, who's fleecing who?

The fuel companies aren't wearing any of the taxes, and nor should they. However, when the raw cost is 84c, and the margin from the importer to the consumer is 34c, there's not a lot in it to run the distribution and delivery network for the fuel companies. Frankly, they do it on very high volumes and not margin. (as reported and not checked by the NZ Herald, not sure where the other 5c went?)

Do you actually need travel insurance? Or is your free cover provided by your credit card enough? Surely if something went wrong, the local or NZ government would sort things out for you?

Travel insurance is one of those things some people see as an unnecessary evil when it comes to planning a holiday. We like to think of it as an essential part of any holiday package, just like your tickets, food or accommodation. Yes, it is an additional expense, and yes, you may not need it. But like all insurance policies, it’s there to give you peace of mind and help you financially if things hit the fan.